


Smiling With You

by Rainbow_Whale_Shark



Category: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 4
Genre: F/M, Fluff, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 18:43:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17924246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbow_Whale_Shark/pseuds/Rainbow_Whale_Shark
Summary: Short fluffy oneshot I wrote for a Valentine's Day event on a Discord server!





	Smiling With You

**Author's Note:**

> The editing may not be perfect, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless~

Xiao Pai leaned up against the counter with a heavy sigh. It was a slow day at the inn, and not even Leon had stopped by to chat with her. She admired Leon from afar most of the time, and Xiao often looked forward to when he would stride downstairs and make a witty comment directed at (usually) Doug or Dylas, occasionally stopping for small talk with her.  
The way Leon carried himself was graceful and he never seemed to make mistakes, quite the opposite of Xiao Pai. He always knew just how to make her laugh, and his smile! Every time he smiled, Xiao felt as if she would melt. Going through the list of reasons of why Xiao liked him so much made her face red, so she returned to worrying about him.  
He could be ill, she thought, gathering different aromatics for the bath. Xiao Pai remembered all the things that she used to enjoy when she was sick and began to put together a plan. Smiling to herself at the thought of taking care of Leon, she went into the kitchen.

"This does not seem so hard, all I must do is follow the recipe!" Xiao felt hopeful that she could make the perfect gift for Leon: dumplings filled with rainbow trout. As soon as she laid eyes on the fish she was supposed to be preparing, she began to regret her decision.  
Cutting it was none too easy, and due to its poisonous nature, cooking it didn't prove to be much better. Xiao was too focused on the dough for the dumplings, leaving the pan on high heat. As soon as the fish hit the pan, the fumes from the toxins cooking out of it created a thick plume of smoke and the smell of burning fish spread throughout the inn.  
"Why do these things always happen to me?!" Xiao violently fanned her arms in an attempt to disperse the smoke, but to no avail. Everything she had worked on was officially ruined, the burning smell overpowering any trace of decent cooking.  
"Xiao? Is everything alright in here?" Lin Fa wandered into the kitchen, carefree as always and holding a bucket of salt. With her panicked daughter in a corner and a volcano of fishy smoke on the stove, Lin Fa reacted the only way anyone would, and tossed the bucket onto the fire, successfully putting it out and ruining whatever could have been salvaged. "Oh Xiao...what, were you trying to do here?"  
"I felt like I could do this", Xiao started as she looked down at her feet, "The recipe seemed so easy, yes? And now nothing can be saved..."  
"Sometimes these things happen, but if you work hard and keep practicing, you'll get the hang of it in a few months!" This well-meaning comment from Lin Fa only discouraged Xiao Pai more, and as she left, Xiao felt frustration tears building up.

With a pout on her face, Xiao went back into the main hotel lobby, leaving the kitchen mess for another time. At that moment, Leon swaggered down the stairs, a smug look in his eyes and a grin on his face. "Something smells...good," he mused, with a nod to the distressed kitchen. "Was Vishnal here by any chance?"  
"I-I am not in the mood for your jokes, Leon!" Xiao's voice shook as Leon ill-timed joke sent her over the edge. "I worked so hard and did all of this for you, and it seems that you don't care at all!" The tears began to flow and Xiao covered her face, embarrassed and angry.  
"Xiao...I'm sorry. I didn't realize you've had such a rough day." Leon's face fell, and he stepped closer to Xiao Pai. "Please, tell me what happened here, let me make things right Xiao. I hate seeing you so upset like this." He led Xiao to one of the plush couches in the lobby and sat next to her, his ears folded down in worry.  
After a few moments, Xiao collected her thoughts and decided to start from the beginning. "You did not come down this morning like you normally do, yes? I thought you may have been sick, so I..." as her voice trailed off, she felt heat rushing to her cheeks. How could she explain that she wanted to take care of Leon if he was sick?  
Luckily, Leon could fill in the blanks on his own, and instead of making a joke in typical Leon fashion, he uncharacteristically looked away. "You thought I wasn't feeling well, so you wanted to do something nice for me? That's really sweet of you, Xiao Pai. Now I feel even worse for teasing you."  
"Well, it seems it does not matter now, yes? I have already, given up, everything is ruined, and you are not even sick." Xiao's cheeks reddened further with his second apology as she tried to save face.  
"It matters to me!" Leon's exclamation made Xiao jump as his eyes met hers. "You went through so much trouble to make me feel better, and all I did was make fun of you. You're so determined, Xiao, even if everything you do doesn't turn out right, you always keep trying until you get it. I really admire you for that."  
"You? Admire me? But you're perfect!" That was not at all something Xiao intended to say, but Leon's confession completely caught her off guard. "It seems that I am going to be possibly too honest now. I was concerned about you because I really care about you, Leon. It would have made me happy to be taking care of you. You are always so aloof and cool about things, the complete opposite of me, the clumsiest girl in Selphia, yes? It seems I always embarrass myself in front of you, but I do not mind right now.”  
Leon, for once, was caught completely off guard, and had no immediate response. “You can't just burst out and say those things…” He took Xiao's hands with a sigh. “I also like you, and I don't think you've embarrassed yourself at all. You're honest, hardworking and kind, and I think you should speak your mind more often.”  
Xiao didn't expect Leon to say anything like this to her, especially not seriously. “The fact that you speak so highly of me is probably the only good thing that happened today, yes?”  
“What can I say? I love seeing you smile.” Leon grinned wickedly at Xiao's expression, happy to see her feeling better.  
“It seems you are not as observant as you think, because every day, you make me smile, yes? I would not mind smiling with you every day.” Xiao grinned up at Leon, finally feeling back to her normal self after that mess of a day.  
“Well then, it's settled!” Leon scooped a giggling Xiao Pai up into a bear hug. “I'll make sure that you smile like this every day!”  
Xiao had never felt happier than that day in Leon's arms; and Leon was more grounded than he ever could be. Nothing would keep them down, no bad days would stay in their memories so long as they had each other.


End file.
